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28 Oct 2025
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28 Oct 2025
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Three more members of Reform’s “flagship” council have been expelled for “dishonest and deceptive behaviour” following a leaked video meeting.
Reform UK took control of Kent County Council (KCC) after winning 57 of the 81 seats at the local elections in May, overturning a 30-year Tory majority.
Due to the number of suspensions and removals since May, there are now less than 50 Reform councillors sitting at KCC.
After footage of an online meeting where KCC leader Linden Kemkaran was seen shouting and swearing at her members, four councillors were suspended.
Three of those councillors: Bill Barrett, Oliver Bradshaw and Paul Thomas, along with another councillor, Brian Black, have now been kicked out of Reform UK following investigations.
A Reform Spokesperson said: “At the request of the leader of Kent County Council, cllr Black and cllr Thomas were invited to meet with officials from Reform HQ in order to find a way forward for all involved.
“Following this meeting, a decision has been made to expel cllr Black, cllr Thomas and cllr Bradshaw from the party after they displayed a lack of integrity.
“These individuals have shown a pattern of dishonest and deceptive behaviour which the party will not tolerate from its elected officials.”
Last week, Mr Barrett and another councillor, Robert Ford, were kicked out by email from Reform HQ which said they had “undermined” the interests of the party and brought it into “disrepute”.
Mr Barrett was suspended after the video leak while Mr Ford faced allegations of misconduct following an “unofficial complaint” from several female members of KCC staff.
In the leaked video, Ms Kemkaran said: “Sometimes I will make a decision that might not be liked by everybody in the group, but I am afraid you are just going to have to f****** suck it up.”
With a budget of more than £2.5 billion, Ms Kemkaran also called the council a “shop window” for what Reform could do if it ran the country.
PA news agency has contacted the suspended or removed councillors for comment.
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